Loss Prevention Advice
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The majority of fires onboard ships start in the engine room and the frequency of such fires is on the rise. Although the main cause of these fires may not be identical, there are certain similarities in the underlying patterns of the fires.
Introduction
Every year fires on board ships lead to loss of lives and severe damage to the ships themselves. Most fires on board ships originate in the engine room where the three ingredients for a fire, namely fuel, oxygen and a source of ignition, exist in abundance. These do not only start the fire but also feed and intensify it further. Fire safety is not only about detecting and fighting a fire, but also about preventing it from igniting in the first place.
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Search and rescue operations are underway after a fishing vessel disappeared from the radar off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.
The search for the fishing vessel that disappeared on 18 February east of Cape Maslen Nos with three people on board resumed with intensified efforts. According to local news reports, in addition to the official rescue teams, eight volunteer groups have joined the operation, combing the coastline between Sozopol and Primorsko.
A drone is also being deployed to survey areas that are difficult to access on foot. The vessel had set out the previous day despite severe weather conditions, when the vessel’s signal suddenly disappeared from radar.
Authorities launched a large-scale search involving rescue services, the Border Police and the military, however the operation was suspended in the evening due to darkness.
Experienced mariners have described the circumstances surrounding the disappearance as deeply concerning. A sailor noted in a television interview that there is a two- to three-minute discrepancy between data from the AIS tracking system and coastal radar.
He further commented that such an abrupt loss of signal is highly unusual, but expressed hope that, if an accident occurred, the crew may have had enough time to deploy a life raft.
The sailor added that strong winds could have carried the crew far offshore and urged authorities to conduct an aerial search and called on the Maritime Administration to also issue a missing persons alert as soon as possible.
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Below you will find a weekly report dated 18 February 2026, covering the period of 12 to 18 February, where the following incidents were reported:
- 0 maritime security incidents in West Africa in the last 7 days
- 1 maritime security incident in the Indian Ocean/Middle East in the last 7 days.
Full advisory at the following link.
https://britanniapandi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/ARC-Weekly-Report-18.02.26.pdf
19.2.26
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Regional conflicts in the Middle East have heightened the security risks for merchant shipping, particularly for vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Following the formal ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement issued an order to suspend attacks on Israeli and Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels in these waters. However, a maritime security assessment for the Red Sea by Vanguard notes that this cessation is fragile and conditional.
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